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On Ditchling's downs

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"A bracing walk exploring some of the best scenery on the South Downs."

Walk directions

Turn right out of the car park and follow the B2116. Just after Charlton Gardens bear right, signposted to the Downs. The track divides by house No. 30: keep half left between hedges. Cross three pastures diagonally to the edge of woodland, walk along the wooden fence to a stile and join a broad path through the woodland. Keep right at the fork by a bridleway waymark post. Pass a house and go straight ahead alongside a beech hedge, where a concrete track runs off right.

Carry on along the track between trees, houses and gardens. On reaching the road, turn left and take the first track on the right. Ascend to a junction, fork left and climb the steep escarpment. Keep a breathtaking view of the Weald on your left. Further up, the path runs alongside the road. Look for the South Downs Way sign ahead and turn right across the road.

Skirt the right-hand side of a car park, through a gate and over Ditchling Beacon. Head west along the South Downs Way, avoiding side turns, pass two dew ponds and reach a major junction of paths. Hassocks is signposted to the right as a South Downs Way link route.

Keep ahead on the South Downs Way for a few paces and turn left at the sign ‘Public Bridleway to Chattri Memorial’. Follow the path south, cross the downland to a gate and continue across the field to the next gate where there is a path junction. Keep ahead on the same path for some time, or until you spot the Chattri Indian War Memorial. Turn left at a gate, and descend to this very atmospheric memorial, which was erected to commemorate Sikh and Hindu soldiers of the Indian Army who fought during World War I. For those who did not survive the conflict, Brighton Corporation acquired this remote downland so that proper cremation rights could be given in accordance with their faith.

Retrace your steps to the first path junction and turn left. Follow the field boundary to a gate in the corner and head north on an enclosed path. Turn left at the next gate and follow the bridleway down the field-edge. Make for a waymark and swing right, skirting the field. Climb quite steeply beside a golf course before joining the route of the South Downs Way on a track bend. Continue ahead and pass alongside the outbuildings of New Barn Farm. Follow the way until it turns sharp right and keep ahead towards the Clayton Jack and Jill Windmills. Jack is a large brick-built tower mill which was worked until the early part of last century. Jill is a timber construction built at Brighton and conveyed to this site by teams of oxen in 1852, and has been carefully restored to working order.

Head back up the track, keep left at the fork and rejoin the South Downs Way. Pass the path taken earlier to the right and turn left just beyond it signed ‘Hassocks’. Follow the path north, with a fence on your left, and soon it descends quite steeply through a hummocky area of old chalk pits.

Keep right at the signposted fork and make for a gate leading out to a lane. Bear left to the junction, then turn immediately right past a turning for Hassocks on the left. Walk along the lane, then take the waymarked footpath at the next stile on the left. Follow the path along the left-hand edge of the field, go through two gates by an eye-catching modern farmhouse. Continue ahead along the right-hand field-edge and go through a gap in the field corner.

Cross the centre of the next field to a further gap and a waymarker post. Follow the defined path diagonally right to cross a footbridge and then a stile and follow the path out to the road. Immediately bear left by a grassy roundabout and take the path to the right of the sign for Neville Bungalows. Cut between trees, hedges and fences, following the narrow path to the road. Bear right towards Ditchling and walk back to the centre of the village, turning right into Lewes Road for the car park.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Field paths, bridleways and a stretch of road, several stiles

Landscape - Downland slopes and pasture

Dog friendliness - Off lead on enclosed paths but on lead near Ditchling

Parking - Ditchling village hall car park

Toilets en route - At car park

Walks in East Sussex Dog-friendly walks in East Sussex

About the walk

Ditchling is one of those picturesque villages that attracts generations of tourists, and it’s a popular stopping-off point for walkers on the nearby South Downs Way. It shelters beneath the escarpment of the Downs, with rolling green hills and lush countryside enhancing its setting. Over the...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

East Sussex is a land of stately homes, castles and the South Downs, with miles of chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel. For history buffs, there are a great many historic landmarks within Sussex, such as the battlefield where the Battle of Hastings took place, or visitors can enjoy pretty towns such as Lewes, Rye and Uckfield and the city of Brighton.